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Beyond Contempt, The Inside Story of the Phone Hacking Trial by Peter Jukes:

Although Beyond Contempt by Peter Jukes was a bit of a random purchase – making use of a discount code by Canbury after Ian Dunt’s ‘How to Be A Liberal’ had it’s publication date pushed back – I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Recently I have read a lot of books very quickly after their publication. It was a pleasant surprise to be reading a book on a topic that prompted a period of reflection. Judging whether British tabloid press had really changed after the phone-hacking scandal was intriguing. We only have to look back a few weeks and to the tragic death of Caroline Flack, in part caused by the tabloid media to see that things aren’t really all that different. This context, provoked different feelings than what I would have originally felt back in 2014 if I had read Beyond Contempt as it was published.

In celebration of Earth Day 2020, I thought I would compile a list of non-fiction books that have both informed me and inspired me in the fight against climate change. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and I very much look forward to hearing your recommendations too!

Wednesday 22nd April 2020 represents the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. The theme for this year is climate action: “the enormous challenges — but also the vast opportunities — of acting on climate change have distinguished the issue as the most pressing topic for the 50th anniversary. Climate change represents the biggest challenge to the future of humanity and the life-support systems that make our world habitable”.

I read Client Earth at the beginning of 2019, and it was a great way to kick off the year. This book made me both laugh and cry. It appealed to my legal undergraduate side, and I found that Thornton and Goodman both did a fantastic job of keeping the reader captivated, whilst explaining the complicated legal processes.

In particular I enjoyed the fact that it illustrated that climate action can take place on many levels. Not only can we take individual actions in our daily lives, but there are also people challenging multi-nationals in one of the environments they take seriously – the courts. Ultimately Client Earth is a book about hope.

I was tagged by the lovely Jenny at JenJenReviews to participate in the Book Blogger Insider Tag (I volunteered when they put a call out!). I absolutely adore reading these, and finding out more about peoples habits and preferences, so here goes mine …

Where do you typically write your blog posts?

I have a lovely arm chair that I inherited from my Nan. It’s so comfy, and we have a set of coffee tables that are the perfect height to place my laptop on.

How long generally does it take you to write a book review?

I jot down my main thinking points, and sections of the book that stand out to me when I read. I then spend roughly 30 minutes planning, maybe 60 minutes writing, and 30 minutes re-reading, reviewing, and making sure I feel I’ve got my points across.

I won’t always do all these steps in the same sitting, so it’s quite typical for me to have blog posts written over a number of days/writing slots.Read More

How Contagion Works, Science, Awareness and Community in Times of Global Crisis by Paolo Giordano:

“We’re living through a suspension of daily activities and routines, a pause in the usual rhythm of our lives – like one of those sounds where the drums stop abruptly and the music seems to expand in the emptiness left behind”

How Contagion Works by Palo Giordano was written during lockdown in Italy. In fact, Giordano was writing on the 29th February 2020. At that point there were 3,000 confirmed global deaths from Covid-19. Upon publication by W&N on the 23rd of March there were 15,000. As I read it on the 15th April there were 129,000.

‘Posh Boys, How the English Public Schools Ru(i)n Britain’ by Robert Verkaik:

I had started reading this book back in January 2019 after it was given to me as a Christmas present. However, once I started commuting back to work after the break I found myself reaching for it less, as I’m not a fan of carrying hardback books around – I know, what a first world problem. So instead it became a holiday book, and travelled to Croatia with me in June 2019.